🛍️ Nordstrom Rack is coming to Waco

Good morning, Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the newsletter that feels like finding a great parking spot at Central Texas Marketplace on a Saturday - rare, satisfying, and about to get a lot more useful.

In this edition:
🛍️ Nordstrom Rack Is Coming to Waco
🍜 Curry Up and Wok This Way Gets a New Home
🎁 51 Waco Teachers Just Got the Best Surprise of the School Year
☑️ Holmes Wins Re-Election
🎾 Baylor Men's Tennis Hosting a Super Regional Friday Night

Let's get to it!
— Sam Harper

🎉May Special: Spring into savings with six weeks free when you sign a 12-15 month lease.

You'd think living this close to HEB, Cottonwood Creek Golf Course, and the future Nordstrom Rack would mean more traffic. The Residence at Central Texas Marketplace sits back among greenbelts, and it's a lot quieter than you'd expect.

The community design is on point and each floor plan is worth taking a look. Nine-foot ceilings, contemporary finishes, built-in desks in select homes. There's a fitness center and a dog wash on site because your roommate deserves nice things too.

It's one of those places that checks a lot of boxes without feeling like a compromise.

👉 Book a tour of The Residence
Looking for something else in Waco? Browse all RPM Living properties here.^*

🌮 Feliz Cinco de Mayo
Today actually marks the Mexican army's underdog victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 -- not Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16. It's celebrated far more here in the U.S. than in most of Mexico.

Either way, today is a great excuse to go to your favorite Waco taqueria like Lolita's, El Conquistador, or your favorite sit down, and leave a good tip.

🎁 Waco Teachers Got the Best Surprise of the School Year
Last Thursday and Friday, Waco ISD officials walked unannounced into classrooms across the district and handed 51 teachers oversized checks -- $155,000 in total grant funding for innovative classroom projects. They call it the "SurPrize Patrol."

Bell's Hill fifth-grade teacher Toni Rejeck was mid-lesson when a $5,500 check arrived. She's building a 3D printing and podcasting lab for her students. Cedar Ridge speech pathologist Michelle Powell got $9,970 for communication software that will help nonverbal students across the entire district.

Grants were funded by local businesses and community partners. This is what it looks like when a community invests in its teachers. Read more.

Waco to Denver -- $250 roundtrip over the 4th of July
Watch fireworks at Coors Field or head up to the mountains and enjoy some cool air while your friends bake in the Waco sun. Either way, you're winning.
See Flight Deal →*

If this flight deal caught your eye, Denae at Traveluxe can handle the flights, hotels, and insider perks at no cost to you. Just email [email protected] and she’ll take it from there. ✈️
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🛍️ Nordstrom Rack Is Coming to Waco
Official: Nordstrom Rack is moving in at Central Texas Marketplace -- going into the former Haverty's space next to DSW and Best Buy. Renovations start this Fall, with a mid-March 2027 projected opening.

If you've never shopped one: Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail arm of Nordstrom, carrying brand-name clothing, shoes, and accessories typically at 30-70% off regular retail.

This follows the recent TJ Maxx announcement that should be opening just before this. Based on your replies when I first shared this on Instagram, you are ready.

🍜 Curry Up and Wok This Way Is Getting a Real Home

After six years of building a loyal following at Union Hall and Union Grove, Chef Bank and Ning Garsee are taking the leap: their first brick-and-mortar is under construction at 520 S University Parks Drive, right on the river near Foster Pavilion.

The opening is expected to coincide with the completion of that stretch of the riverwalk redevelopment, which means this could become one of the better spots in Waco to grab a great meal and watch the Brazos roll by.

Six years of hard work to get here. Congrats, Bank and Ning!

💰 $25,000 Up for Grabs for Waco Entrepreneurs
Extraco Banks just opened applications for the 7th cycle of the Extrapreneur Award Program -- a live pitch competition for small business owners in McLennan County (and surrounding counties). The overall winner takes home $25,000 plus three months of executive consulting.

To be eligible: for-profit legal entity, not a franchise, $150K-$2M in annual revenue. Video pitches open this month. Finalist competition is in August.

The application portal is live now.

🐕 YOUR YARD, MINUS THE LANDMINES
You love your dog. You do not love what your dog leaves behind. Dootectives is a local poop scoop service that shows up on schedule, handles the dirty work, and leaves your yard looking (and smelling) like nobody's dog lives there. New customers can get their first yard cleaned for just $1.
👉 Fill out the form and let someone else deal with it for once.*

☑️ Holmes Wins. Waco Votes.
Mayor Jim Holmes won a second two-year term and District 1 Council Member Andrea Barefield also won a fifth term. Full results across McLennan County seen here.

🏛 City Council Preview

Work session 3 PM, business session 6 PM, Bosque Theater at the Waco Convention Center. Public welcome. Full agenda here.

🌮 Tuesday, May 5 -- Cinco de Mayo

Wednesday, May 6:

Social Studies with Dr. Lenore Wright, May 6 - 7 PM
Dr. Lenore Wright, Professor of Philosophy and Baylor Master Teacher, is taking us through 3,000 years of female icons and how they have shaped the way we see ourselves. It’s like a TED talk during happy hour. Get tickets here.

Thursday, May 7:

Looking Ahead

🎶 Brazos Nights: Secretto & Ruben Ramos @ Indian Spring Park -- Friday, May 8
The rescheduled Brazos Nights show is happening with a free concert on the riverfront featuring Tejano legend Ruben Ramos & The Mexican Revolution and norteño band Secretto. Bring a lawn chair and a friend.

🥤 Dr Pepper Museum’s 35th Birthday Bash-- Saturday, May 9
The museum is unveiling the world's largest Dr Pepper bottle on Saturday starting at 10 AM.

⭐ The Texas Sports Hall of Fame hosts the 2026 Lone Star Luncheon on Tuesday, May 12 at 11:30 AM, featuring golf legends Charles Coody and Tom Kite. Get tickets here.

🎾 Men's Tennis Hosting a Super Regional Friday -- Come Out
Baylor men's tennis swept Tulsa 4-0 and knocked off No. 22 Auburn 4-1 at home last weekend, punching their ticket to a Super Regional, the tennis equivalent of the Sweet 16. They host Pepperdine this Friday at 6 PM at the Hurd Tennis Center on the Baylor campus.

Win and they go to the Final Eight in Athens, Georgia. This team is rolling on their home courts.

🥎 Softball Heads to OKC
Baylor softball knocked off No. 4 Texas Tech on Saturday in one of their biggest wins of the year. The reward: a rematch with Texas Tech to open the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City on Thursday at 1:30 PM (ESPN+).

⚾ UCF at Baylor Ballpark This Weekend
Three-game series starts Friday where kids get a free super hero cape. Saturday is Senior Day with a post-game autograph session. Sunday is Mother's Day -- kids 12 and under get in free and kids run the bases after. The Cooking with the Momma Bears cookbook is Sunday's giveaway.

🧗‍♀️ This summer, Basin Climbing + Fitness is offering $25 off their summer camp using code WACOBUZZ. If you or your child wants to try climbing before signing up, swing by the gym any day and give it a try together.

🚗 Your neighbors at Chevrolet of West have been taking care of Waco drivers for years with new and pre-owned trucks, SUVs, and cars just 20 minutes up I-35 in West, TX. Stop by or browse their inventory today.

🪙153 five-star reviews, free appraisals, and a reputation for fair market value. Reliable Coins is where Waco goes to sell gold and silver the right way.

✨ Skin & Body Refinery delivers top tier injectors, advanced treatments, and natural looking results that help you look and feel your best. They’re offering 15% off the Event Ready treatment plan right now.

💧 Need a boost? IViT Hydration & Wellness offers IV therapy and wellness treatments to help you feel better, recover faster, and boost energy. Waco Buzz readers get $35 off by clicking the link.

💪Move better. Recover Faster. Live Stronger. Waco Bodymend is a world class space built for everyday movers, athletes, and anyone who wants to feel their best.

Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. Words are a limited resource. We live in an age where most of them get spent on criticism, complaint, judgment, and comparison -- but save some for encouragement this week. Someone might still be holding onto yours 20 years from now.

Before you go — three things worth knowing about:

1. Job Board: The best open roles at growing Waco companies across media, marketing, sales, tech, and engineering. Hiring? Get your open role featured in front of thousands of locals.

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3.Know someone that needs to get their summer camp plans in order? Check out The Waco Buzz Summer Camp Guide for deals and something for every kid in Waco to enjoy.